Custom properties allow you to store additional information about your users beyond the standard profile fields. They enable deeper personalization, better segmentation, and more targeted marketing campaigns by capturing business-specific data that matters to your organization.

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What are Custom Properties?

Custom properties are additional data fields you can attach to user profiles to store:
  • Business-specific Information: Customer type, account tier, industry
  • Behavioral Data: Preferences, settings, usage patterns
  • Calculated Values: Lifetime value, engagement score, risk rating
  • External System Data: CRM IDs, support ticket counts, subscription details
  • Demographic Information: Company size, job title, location details
Unlike standard user properties (name, email, phone), custom properties are completely flexible and defined by your business needs.

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How Custom Properties are Created

Custom properties can be created in several ways:

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1. Automatic Creation from Events

When Flywheel receives user data through events or integrations, it automatically creates custom properties for any unrecognized fields: 
// When this event is received
{
  user_id: 'user123',
  event: 'user_signup',
  properties: {
    company_size: '50-100',      // → Creates "company_size" custom property
    industry: 'Technology',      // → Creates "industry" custom property
    utm_source: 'google_ads',    // → Creates "utm_source" custom property
    trial_type: 'premium'        // → Creates "trial_type" custom property
  }
}

// Flywheel automatically creates custom properties for each field

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2. Manual Creation in Settings

Create custom properties manually for better control and organization:
  1. Navigate to Settings
    • Go to Settings → Users → Custom Properties
    • Click Add Custom Property

Custom Properties Settings

Access custom properties configuration and management
  1. Define the Property
    • Name: Internal name used in API calls and data
    • Display Name: Human-readable name for the UI
    • Description: Explain what the property represents
    • Type: Choose the data type (string, number, boolean, date)
  2. Configure Options
    • Required: Whether the property is mandatory
    • Default Value: Set a default if no value is provided
    • Validation Rules: Set constraints on acceptable values

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Property Types

Flywheel supports several property types to match your data:

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String Properties

Text-based information: 
{
  industry: 'Technology',
  customer_tier: 'premium',
  preferred_language: 'en',
  utm_source: 'google_ads'
}

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Number Properties

Numeric values for calculations and comparisons: 
{
  lifetime_value: 1250.00,
  login_count: 45,
  support_tickets: 3,
  engagement_score: 85
}

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Boolean Properties

True/false flags for binary characteristics: 
{
  is_premium_user: true,
  email_verified: false,
  has_mobile_app: true,
  opted_in_marketing: false
}

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Date Properties

Timestamp-based information: 
{
  trial_end_date: '2024-02-15T00:00:00Z',
  last_purchase_date: '2024-01-10T14:30:00Z',
  onboarding_completed_date: '2024-01-05T09:15:00Z'
}

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Managing Custom Properties

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Viewing Custom Properties

Access custom properties in several ways:

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Settings Dashboard

  • Property List: See all defined custom properties
  • Usage Statistics: View which properties are most used
  • Data Types: Review property types and configurations
  • Validation Rules: Check constraints and requirements

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User Profiles

  • Individual User View: View and edit custom property values for specific users

View User Profiles

Access individual user profiles and custom property values

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Editing Custom Properties

Update custom property configurations:
  1. Navigate to Property Settings
    • Go to Settings → Users → Custom Properties
    • Click on the property you want to edit

Edit Custom Properties

Modify existing custom property configurations
  1. Modify Configuration
    • Update display name or description
    • Change validation rules
    • Modify default values
    • Adjust property type (with caution)
  2. Impact Assessment
    • Review existing data before making changes
    • Consider impact on segments and workflows
    • Test changes in staging environment first